Monster Fiction

Earl Harbinger may be the leader of Monster Hunter International, but he's also got a secret. Nearly a century ago, Earl was cursed to be a werewolf. When Earl receives word that one of his oldest foes, a legendarily vicious werewolf that worked for the KGB, has mysteriously appeared in the remote woods of Michigan, he decides to take care of some unfinished business.

"Monsters aren't real." That's what sixteen-year-old Lucy Brannigan has always believed, until, broke and desperate, she and her father move to an isolated farmhouse in the small Scottish town of Helsbridge. It's their last chance, and they have to make it work. For Lucy, life appears to be over. With no friends, and surrounded by miles of thick woodland, there's nothing to do. But why did the previous occupants leave their belongings behind?

For centuries I have suffered. Solidified and silenced, all because I failed to destroy what I was created for. Except now, after so long… There is a female. One who always seems to be by my side. Day after day. Night after night. She talks to me. Touches me. Tells me things. She shares stories of a world I no longer know. She is a reprieve from my punishment. A sweet delight. She liberates me from my solitude. But when I rise, my adversary seizes his opportunity, and she's caught between us. He only wants her to get to me. She isn't his. And I'll do anything to protect what's mine.

The most important thing I’d ever read was scribbled on the door of a portable restroom, engraved into plastic at a carnival on the outskirts of Boston. Lust lingers, love stays. Lust is impatient, love waits. Lust burns, love warms. Lust destroys, but love? Love kills. Maybe it was always my destiny to fall in love with a monster. When other kids stayed awake at night fearing the pointy-toothed beast hiding in their closet, I longed to see mine.

Not all monsters are fantasy. Some are very real, and they walk among us. They're our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. They're the people we're supposed to trust...and they know it. Contained within this anthology are 35 never-before-published works by supremely talented authors and best-selling novelists. Brace yourself for the unexpected and unimaginable horror of...human monsters.

Sean and Gel have only just begun to whet their appetite for revenge. With their former master, the necromancer Bancroft, now more desperate than ever to recapture them, the eternal hunger of undeath raising the hourly mana costs for Sean's survival ever-higher, and naught but desert for miles around, it's time to start upping their game.

When I answered an ad for a caretaker at Saint Mark’s Sanctuary, I thought I’d be dusting chandeliers and polishing floors. I didn’t expect to be tricked into a curse, going into debt to a monster, and being forced to take a self-paced “let’s learn magic” course so I can fix a 2,000-year-old problem. And that monster? Not your ordinary, everyday beast. He has hooves, and horns, and fur on his legs. But you know where he doesn’t have fur? Yeah. There. Which is fine. Except he doesn’t wear pants.

"Fated love means nothing when we can avoid extinction. One tiny sacrifice will appease the shadows. It's a shame, really. You've always been my pretty little monster." Those were the last words I heard from my Alpha, my fated mate, before his Beta tossed me off the cliff into a land of no return: Demon Valley, the place where no human or wolf shifter survives. Legends claim there's an escape from the shadowy, demon-infested haven, but no one has ever returned to confirm the truth. Except me.

Adrian's dark past left him with a twisted imagination that takes him deep into the forest where he does unspeakable things. Kendra is new to town. She has a dark secret of her own—and an unhealthy obsession with a boy she hasn't even met yet.

Prepare to meet the wicked progeny of the master of modern horror. In Lovecraft's Monsters, H. P. Lovecraft's most famous creations--Cthulhu, Shoggoths, Deep Ones, Elder Things, Yog-Sothoth, and more--appear in all their terrifying glory. Each story is a gripping new take on a classic Lovecraftian creature. Contributors include such literary luminaries as Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Karl Edward Wagner, Elizabeth Bear, and Nick Mamatas.

Welcome to Monster Middle School! Moan, a preteen zombie, is starting his first day of middle school. Follow his adventures as he makes friends, learns to deal with bullies, and embarks on a quest to become cool!

A big part of why I moved to a remote island was to escape my mother. She wants me to get married, settle down, and pop out some grand-trophies. I’m not opposed to the idea, but every time I swipe right, I seem to end up dating hot messes or worse: suspiciously perfect guys. I want a normal guy who loves to snuggle and binge watch TV until we fall asleep in each other’s arms. Is that too much to ask? I hadn’t even finished unpacking before my mom’s housewarming gift was tossed onto my porch—an antique lamp. While checking for damage, I rubbed the lamp, and you’d never guess what came out.

When it comes to stealing from mafia men, there are three rules. Don't get caught. Don't be seen. And most of all—don't fall in love with them. After being hired to steal a painting, I find myself ensnared. Damon, Minos, and Aaecus are monsters, and they only want one thing: Me. Seven days of sin in exchange for freedom from the Three Fates Mafia. If only it were that easy. The strings of fate have bound the four of us together, and not even gods or monsters can keep us apart.

The monsters already own my body…but do they want my heart? Left to die in a monstrous land, I’m saved by the monster I least expect. He hates me, but he loves what my body can do for him. I shouldn’t want to keep him. I shouldn’t want to keep all of them. I’m just their plaything, after all. But, one by one, they find their way into my heart. Even as the world falls apart around me, I realize that I’ve become just as obsessed with my monsters as they are with me.

All I wanted was to go to a good college and finally get my life started. Maybe meet someone, get my degree, and do something I'm passionate about. I just wish someone had told me that my physics professor could feed on my emotions and desires, the guy who sits next to me in astrology club would be hiding his fangs, and my first friend would have a secret of his own. An incubus and a vampire should have been manageable—up until their bloodlines were mixed with an unpredictable race of Zodiac Shifters.

In a world of warring orcs and men, Kesst of Clan Ash-Kai is a pawn. A pretty, pliant plaything bound to the cruelest orcs in the realm. Until the new healer storms in. He's huge, hostile, and hideous, with a powerful scarred body and terrifying ancient magic. It only takes one disastrous meeting before he and Kesst are bitter enemies, and Kesst vows to see the vile brute destroyed. Then a sudden deadly attack hurls his helpless body straight at the healer's feet. Kesst fully expects to be abandoned to his doom—instead, his new enemy picks him up, soothes his wounds, and carries him home.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK NATIONAL BESTSELLER A timely, passionate, provocative, blisteringly smart interrogation of how we make and experience art in the age of cancel culture, and of the link between genius and monstrosity. Can we love the work of controversial classic and...

In a childhood fractured by abuse and neglect, the monster under my bed was my unlikely guardian. The bloody night he abandoned me left me broken, and alone for too many years. But now he’s back. As I’ve matured, so has my need for him. My desires are dark, perverse, and only my monster can satisfy them. At first he refuses to touch me the way I so desperately need. But then his shadows pin me open and tear me apart until I am remade in his darkness. Though my protector has returned, my world is unraveling, ripped apart by the evils of men and the creatures that stalk me from the dark.

Steve likes to spend his mornings in the NCP village and trade his wheat for emeralds, armor, books, swords, and food. One morning, he finds that Zombies have attacked the villagers. The Zombies have also turned the village blacksmith into a Zombie, leaving Steve without a place to get swords. To protect himself and the few villagers that remain, Steve goes on a quest to mine for 40 diamonds, which are the most powerful mineral in the Overworld.

Monsters Unleashed - where you catch virtual-reality monsters on your cellphone - is one of the hottest mobile games around, and Bex and Charlie just can't stop playing. They even check out an old map in Charlie's grandfather's attic in hopes of discovering some forgotten places in town where the rarest monsters might hide. But they find a strange machine up there, too, and after Charlie switches it on, the wifi goes down...and Bex's entire catalog of monsters vanishes!